The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Titanium alloys are commonly used in applications such as aerospace due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratios and high temperature capability. One known titanium alloy is Ti-54M (“TIMETAL® 54M”), which has high strength, good machinability, and excellent ballistic properties, especially versus that of Ti-64.
One process that has been used to form parts from titanium alloys is superplastic forming. In this process, the titanium alloy is deformed at elevated temperatures to cause the material to flow a relatively large amount without rupturing. The ability of titanium alloys to flow under such manufacturing conditions is a property called superplasticity.
Both Ti-54M and Ti-64 alloys exhibit superplasticity, while the Ti-54M alloy exhibits superplasticity at lower temperatures, as compared with Ti-64, the latter of which is the most common titanium alloy used in superplastic forming applications. For example, Ti-54M sheets, processed through a rolling process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,551,264, (which is commonly owned with the present application and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety), exhibit superplasticity at temperatures as low as 775° C. (1427° F.), which is more than 100° C. lower than the temperatures used for Ti-64. Although Ti-54M shows excellent superplasticity at lower temperatures, this alloy does not display significant advantages over competitive alloys in higher temperature strength, creep resistance or oxidation resistance, which are often desired for high temperature applications.